Fresh Tree Sap
by Amenable13
Summary: Amber is trying to run away from her past life that she thought would be her happy ending. She is hiding everything from the new town she ran away to, Echo Village. Will she find comfort with the villagers? Can she truly disappear from the rest of the world in this deserted town? Echo Village is her second chance at having a perfect life.


**Planting the Seed**

_**Spring 1**_

I begin dragging my bag along the ground. It isn't filled with much, but I am exhausted. What a long walk! This town must be in the middle of nowhere. My blonde bangs cover my face as I look down towards the ground, trying to escape the blazing sun. I spot a log and plop down, sighing, "Is this really my best option?" I put my long, straight hair into a perfect bun as sweat drips down my neck. "It's super humid out."

Suddenly, I hear footsteps being dragged against the grass. For a second, I am frightened and grasp my bag, ready to fling it and run. However, this old hobo man comes stumbling out of the bushes. With a dry voice he mutters, "Please… Help me… Water… Food…" I yelp and jump back as his knees hit the ground hard, his face soon following. I run to him quickly and flip him over so his face isn't planted into the ground. I crouch near him to inspect him a little. He has an odd brown pilgrim hat and an insane beard and mustache. He must be pretty old since every single strand of hair is grey. I slap his cheek a few times to see if he will wake up. What the heck happened to this guy?

"Hello?" I ask him, seeing if maybe he will respond to my voice. His eyes start to flicker open.

"Where am I?!" He gasps, sitting up suddenly. I take a little step back, worried about my decision to interact with a random stranger. Although, he seems to be relatively helpless.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but my name is Amber. I am on my way to Echo Village." I give him a warm smile, trying to calm him down. "Which way did you come from?"

"Oh! I see! Surely your parents have told you about me, I am Dunhill. I was out foraging for some extra food, but I seem to have overheated." The hobo man started getting really excited, a sudden burst of energy coming over him. I start to think about what my parents told me a few days ago, going over the conversations where I probably was not listening. I gasp as I remember.

"Right! Dunhill!" I say a little loudly, and then I think about it. "YOUR Dunhill?" I ask, surprised that the mayor of the town I am going to is an old man collecting food and getting heatstroke.

"Of course! Let's go to my house and talk. The town is just around the corner!" Dunhill exclaims, his voice still hoarse. I wish I knew I was so close.

Dunhill starts walking with a little pep to his step. I rush over to him saying, "Wait! You should drink some water first." I hand him my water bottle that's half full. He looks at it for a few seconds, and then grabs it and takes a big chug. When he hands it back, there is almost no water left.

"Thanks little lady! You are going to make a fine addition to this town. I can see it already." He looks at me with a sparkle in his eyes and a huge smile. I gulp a little, scared of what I have gotten myself into. I quietly put the nearly empty bottle back into my bag.

We walk for about half a mile before we arrive at this adorable log cabin that looks quite cozy despite being a bit small. "Why don't we rest and have a nice meal inside? My treat!" He gives me a warm smile and brings his hand up to show that I should go in first. I force a nice smile and walk in. A city girl like me is definitely not used to kindness being returned. I wonder if I will get used to it, I kind of like it.

As I slowly walk in, I see a nice table with a blue tablecloth set for two. Dunhill is right on my heels as he says, "Small but comfy isn't it? Well, go ahead and sit. We have business to discuss now." I nod and sit down, waiting for him to sit to start eating.

"Well, you just have the best manners don't you?" Dunhill takes a bite of his food, and I start to dig in. "Your father and I have kept the farm in great condition ever since we built it together. It's too bad your mom wanted to stay in the city. However, we knew someday that someone with our blood would take over." Now that his throat wasn't dry, you could hear his gruff voice; however, it was also easy to tell that he wasn't a stern, grumpy man. He stops eating and looks out the window for a while.

"I have to warn you, your job isn't going to be easy and is far more than just farm work." His head turns back to me with a steady gaze. "If you aren't ready for it, I suggest you leave now."

I smirk a little, "Please Gramps, I am the hardest worker you will ever find." He starts laughing, almost like Santa Claus. It actually comforts me a little.

"Your father said that too. He also said you were the most stubborn young woman I would ever meet." As Dunhill is still laughing, I scrunch up my nose and huff. "Now, now, no need to be upset. Stubbornness can be a fantastic trait and probably what this town needs. We don't have many villagers left, and I'm afraid even the few we have left may leave soon. I need someone to help revitalize this town, and you have officially agreed. There is no backing out."

My lips purse slightly, it's true that I'm incredibly stubborn. Of course that means I am too stubborn to admit I may have bit off more than I can chew. I nod slightly and say with more confidence than I thought I had, "I can do it, Gramps. I will fix this town no matter what."

"Gramps huh? Since it's my best friend's daughter, I guess I will allow it. I'm glad, let's go see your farm then." Gramps gives me a smile as if I truly was his granddaughter, making me naturally give him a smile in return.

We start walking down a hill on the path to my new life and notice that there are a group of people in a circle near the exit of the town. I can see Gramps frown slightly and whispers to me, "The two on the left Hossan and his son, Niko. They run the inn. On the right, the older woman with a hat is Hana and the younger one with an apron is Emma."

"But you can't leave! The new farmer will be here soon, she will put our town back on the map! We need you, Hossan." Hana exclaims to Hossan, I can see even from up on the hill that there are tears in her eyes. I begin to frown as well, this is worse than I thought.

"You know I would take the chance if I could, but I have a family, Hana. I expect you both to understand where I am coming from." Hossan shakes his head and turns aways from the two women. "I have to go if I am going to catch the boat in time, but this will always be home. I will come back someday whether it is just to visit or to set up the inn again." Hossan turns his head to wave to the two women as he begins leaving with his son, his horse pulling his cart right behind them. Gramps starts walking over to Hana and Emma, and I follow right behind him.

"Hana! Emma! Don't look so sad, welcome our new farmer Amber!" Gramps throws his arms around Hana and Emma's shoulders and turns them around to face me. I wave at them with a shy smile.

"Well aren't you just the sweetest little thing?" Hana smiles warmly and pinches my cheeks.

"Whoa Granny, you're going to mess up my wonderful face!" I joke with her and she starts laughing lightly. She definitely looks and sounds like a Granny.

"My goodness, you look like the daughter I have always wanted. Such a nice sense of humor too!" Emma laughs a little as well and brings me into a soft hug. "It's nice to finally meet you my dear."

Emma and Hana look me up and down, exclaiming over how adorable I am for a few minutes. Then Granny pats me on the head and says, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but we have quite a lot of work to do in order to help you fix up this town! We will see you tomorrow when you are all rested. Take good care of her Dunhill!" Granny and Emma walk off together past us. Gramps takes me down the other direction.

Finally, I get to see my new house, and the beginning of my new life. Butterflies start to flutter in my stomach as I start getting nervous. Stop that! I'm ready to start over with a clean slate! I snap my brain back from all of my doubts, holding my head a little higher to show my boost of confidence. Gramps chuckles and extends his arm out towards the whole farm.

"Here she is, you have five fields, a barn, and a house. It's better than what most start with, you're pretty lucky!" Gramps puts his hand back down and looks at my face to see my reaction. I start to genuinely smile, it's a wonderful piece of land. I'm already relaxed and comfortable here. Satisfied with my reaction, Gramps asks me something I didn't really think about yet, "So what do you want to name it?"

I look at him with a blank expression. Suddenly, a light bulb turned on in my head and I jump with excitement. "Sap's Farm! It's perfect!" I squeal a little. Gramps looks at me with an expression I seldom see. He is proud of me; he is happy because I am happy.

I turn back to the rest of my farm, looking out towards the sea that borders the opposite side of farm. "I love it." I whisper those three words so quietly that Gramps leans forward a little to hear it. He nods and smiles.

"Well, come see the inside of your house then." He walks me into my house and shows me all of the utilities I have available to me. "As you can see, you have a quite a large kitchen for all the food you will be harvesting and cooking. You have a chest for general storage and one for tools. We have a calendar for you, I would update it often as you need to keep track of many things. Your farm statistics are on the other wall. Finally, back there is your bed." I nod as I approve of everything in the house.

"But where is the bathroom?" I ask, tilting my head to the side as I look at Gramps. He starts chuckling.

"I guess the city girl will have to use an outhouse for the first time." As his words sink in, my face drops as I think of the horror. Gramps is laughing even harder now. "Kidding! The door in the right corner leads to a bathroom that includes a toilet, mirror, and bath."

"That wasn't funny Gramps, you are permanently banned from my house. Out with you!" I point at the door in shame. I almost started crying at the thought of using an outhouse for the rest of my life. I'm such a sissy.

"Good night Amber! I will show you around town tomorrow and equip you with the right tools." Gramps doesn't even look back as he walks out and waves.

I throw my bag in the corner of the room to the left of my bed and clean myself up in the bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror, staring into my large, light blue eyes. I nod, ready for the challenges ahead of me. I pull out my bun, letting my long, blonde hair flow down.

After I am done getting the grime and sweat of today off of my body, I fling myself into bed and fall asleep to my thoughts of my future. Maybe it truly is possible to run away from all of your problems if you go to some deserted town that nobody knows about anymore.


End file.
